Razor blade sharpening device



5 Sheets-Sheet 1 C. MINERS Filed Oct. 3. 1927 RAZOR BLADE SHARPENING DEVICE Sept. 5, 1933.

INVENTOR 6T A/M/EES ATTORNEYS Sept. 5, 1933- MINE'RQ v 1,925, RAZOR BLADE SHARPENINGDE'VICE Filed Oct. 3, 1927,. *sSh t s-smt 2 I INVENTOR 6? M/A/f/Ps mm ATTORNEY Sept. 5, 1933. V MlNERs 1,925,983

RAZOR BLADE SHARPEN'ING DEVICE Filed Oct. 3, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR C. M/A/f/RS BY M m ATTORNEY Se t. 5, 1933. c. MINERS RAZOR BLADE SHARPENING DEVICE Filed Oct. 3, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 NEE ATTORNEYS Filed 001;. 3, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 8 R2 ww m/ M IC. 7 m a Q A. 0% W a 6 1/ /1 W 8 6 1 2 5 r Marl/IN ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 5, 1933 STTES PATENT FFHCE 18 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in razor blade sharpening devices, and it consists in the combinations, constructions, and arrangements herein described and claimed.

An object of my invention is to provide a sharpening device for razor blades in which a plurality of blades may be sharpened in one op eration, and in which novel means is provided for presenting oneside of the blades to the sharpening means and then reversing the sharpening means while at the same time presenting the opposite sides of the blades to the sharpening means.

-A further object is to provide a sharpening device for razor blades in which the curve of the grinding wheels is employed for efiecting hollow ground blades.

A further object is to provide a sharpening device for razor blades in which means is provided for simultaneously reversing the blades and the direction of rotation of the sharpening means.

A. further object is to provide a sharpening device of such a type that the blades may be conveniently moved into engagement with sharpening means of progressively finer grit.

A further object of the invention is to provide a razor blade sharpening device, having an abrasive member and a stropping member which rotate in the same direction, with means for bringing the blades into engagement with the abrasive member so that the latter rotates against the edge of the blades and for reversing the direction of rotation of the abrasive member andthe stropping member when the blades are brought into position to be stropped.

A further object is to provide a razor blade sharpening device which is adapted to perform hollow grinding, honing, and stropping during the same operation, and which is simply constructed, easily manipulated, and accurate in adjustment.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, and the novel features of the invention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims. 7

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming part of this application, in

which Figure 1 is a side elevation of my device partly in section,

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken substantially I along the line 2--2 of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a detail view of a part of the structure shown in Figure 2,

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail view of a part of the structure shown in Figure 2,

Figure 4a is .a fragmentary plan view of the major mechanism of the device and its carriage,

Figure 5 is an enlarged view showing the bladeholding means,

Figure 5a is a sectional View taken along the line 5A5A of Figure 5, c

Figure 6 is an end view of the device shown in Figure 5 with the blade removed,

Figure 7 is asectional view' taken substantially along the line 7-7 of Figure 1, 1

Figure 8 is a sectional View taken substantially along the line 8-.8 of Figure 4,

Figure 9 is a detail view showing one of the levers for reversing the razor blades,

Figure 10 is a sectional view taken along the line 1010 of Figure 9, t

Figure 11 is a sectional view taken along the line 1111 of Figure 4,

Figure 12 is a sectional view taken along the line 12-42 of Figure 4,-

Figure 13 is an enlarged detail view showing the manner in which one of the rings is movably supported,

Figure 14 is a view showing one of the bladeholder shafts,

Figure 15 is a view showing a modified form of blade holder,

Figure 16 :is another modified form of a blade holder,

Figure 17 is an edge view of the blade holder shown in Figure 16, and f Figure 18 is a detail view of a portion of the structure shown in Figure 1 showing the .blade holding carriage in a dotted line position.

In carrying out my invention, I make use of a base 1, such as that shown in Figures 1 and 7. Legs 2 are secured to the base 1. Supports 3 are mounted upon the base land are arranged to support'a pair of T-rails l upon which flanged wheels 5 carrying a carriage 6 are arranged to run, see Figure 2. The carriage 6 supports the major mechanism of the device as will be hereinafter described.

A pair of spaced-apart rings 7 and 8 is secured to the carriage 6. These rings are held in spaced relation by means of pins 9 having threaded ends arranged to enter threaded openings 10 and 11 in the rings '7 and 8, see Figure 8. The rings 7 and 8 are further supported by the provision of clamping means 12 secured to the rings 7 and 8 by means of screws 13. Lugs 14 and 15 are secured to the rings 7 and 8 for the purpose of mounting 1'10 a shaft 16. The function of the shaft 16 will be more fully described hereinafter.

A plurality of tube holders 1'7 is pivotally disposed between the rings '7 and 8, see Figures 8 and 1. These tube holders are provided with projections 18 through which pins 19 are passed. One end of the pins 19 is threaded and screwed into the ring 8; Thus it will be seen that the tube holders 17 may be easily andquickly removed or attached to the device by merely removing the pins 19. The tube holders 1'7 are free to pivot upon the pinsvl9, as will be explained later.

The rings '7 and 8 are firmly secured to the carriage 6. A spreading ring 20 is disposed adjacent the ring 8 and on the inner side thereof, as shown in Figure 8. Figure 13 shows the manner in which the ring 20 is mounted upon the ring 8. Relatively small discs 21 are secured to the ring 8 by means of pins or screws 22. The discs 21 are free to rotate and are arranged to bear against the edge of the ring 20, thus permitting the ring 20 to be easily rotated. Suitable screws 23 are carried by the ring 8. These screws are provided with a relatively large head so that a portion of the head is adapted to bear against the side of the ring 20, in this manner holding the ring 20 against the ring 8. The ring 20 is provided with aplurality of recesses 24, the purpose of which will be explained later. 'A series of pins 25is secured to the ring 20 and project inwardly, as shown in Figure 8. The pins 25 project into a groove 26 in one end of each of the tube holders 1'7. Since the tube holders 17 are pivotally mounted upon the pins 19, it will be seen that any movement of the ring 20 will cause an oscillation of the tube holders 17, due to the fact that the pins 25 are in engagement with the grooves 26 in the tube holders. v

A releasing ring 27 is placed adjacent the ring 8, as shown in Figures 8 and 4. 'The releasing ring 2'7 is slightly smaller in its outerdiameter than the ring 8 and is substantially equal to the diameter of the ring 20, see Figure 4. The releasing ring 27 is provided with a plurality of pins 28 which are adapted to project through a slot 29 in levers 30 which are pivotally mounted at 31 upon a ring 32, see Figures 4 and 9. The ring 2'7 is provided with a handle 33 having a pawl '34 arranged to bear against the outer edge of the ring 32 by virtue of a coil spring 35 having one end secured to the pawl and the other end secured to the ring'32. Referring to Figure 4, itwill be seen that I have provided guiding means 36 for the ring 2'7. Thus the ring 27 is mounted concentrically with respect to the rings 32, 20 and 8; and is free to rotate independently of the other rings. 7

The levers 30 are provided with a portion 3'7 having teeth 38 and a laterally extending ridge 39, as shown in Figures 9 and 10. Pins 40 which are secured to the tube holders 1'7 are positioned to pass underneath the ridge 39 for the purpose of holding the levers 30 in close engagement with pinions 41 mounted upon a shaft 42 of blade holders 43 which may be inserted into the tube holders 1'7. ,The operation of the levers 30 will be more fully explained later.

. Referring to Figure 4, it will be seen that since the levers 30 are pivotally mounted at 31, when the ring 27 is rotated slightly, the pins 28 will cause the teeth or thetoothed portion 3'7 to be moved either to or from the pinions 41, depending upon the direction of the movement of the handle 33. Since however the pins 40 pass underneath the ridges 39, it willbe seen that the levers are locked in engagement with the pinions 41 and that the ring 2'7 cannot be moved to free the levers from engagement with the pinions 41 until the pins 40 have been moved out of engagement with the ridges 39.

A cam ring 44 is spaced slightly away from the ring 32, as shown in Figure 8. A lug 45 is secured to the cam ring 44 by means of screws 46. The lug 45 is disposed between the cam ring 44 and the ring 32, thus holding the two rings in spaced relation. A recessed ring 47 is arranged to guide the cam ring 44. As will be seen from Figure l, the recessed ring 4'7 is secured to the clamping means 12'by means of screws 48. Since the ring 47 is secured to the clamping means 12 and the latter are secured to the rings '7 and 8 which form a part of the carriage 6, the cam ring 44 is free to be moved independently with respect to the guide ring 47. A guide ring 49 is secured to the clamping means 12 and the ring 8 and extends over a portion of the'ring 32, thus providing a guide for the latter, see Figure 8.

Referring now to Figure 2, it will be seen that the ring 44 is provided with a pair of grooves 50 and 51. A lever 52 having a pin 53 positioned to extend into the groove 50 is pivotally mounted upon the shaft 16, see Figures 2, 8 and 4. A lever 54 is rigidly secured to the lever 52 so that any movement of the lever 52 will cause a relative movement of the lever 54. A link 55 is arranged to connect one end of the lever 54 with the ring 2'7 at 56. A lever 57 is pivotally mounted upon the shaft 16 and is connected with the ring 32 by means of a link 58 at 59. The lever 5'7 carries a pin 60 which is arranged to enter the groove 51 in the cam ring 44. The lever 5'7 is provided with a slot 61. of the lever 5'7 and extends substantially the length of the slot 61. A shaft 63, see Figure 11, passes through the slot 61 and a pinion 64 which is in engagement with the rack 62. The pinion 64 may be formed integral with a thumb screw 65, both the thumb screw 65 and the pinion 64 rotating upon the shaft 63. The thumb screw 65 is provided with an annular groove 66 and a plurality of holes 6'7. A spring 68 is secured to one side of the lever 57 and is provided with a pin 69 arranged to align with the annular groove 66 and further arranged so that it will enter any one of the holes 67 when brought into registration therewith.

It will now be seen that by withdrawing the pin 69 from engagement with one of the openings 67, the thumb screw 65 may be turned and since the pinion 64 turns with the thumb screw 65, the pinion will be moved along the rack 62.

.In this manner, the lever 5'7 may be lengthened or shortened-t0 determine the distance through which the link 58 is to move. In a similar manner, one end of the link 58 is provided with a recess '70 and a rack '71. A pinion '72 is secured to the shaft 63 and a thumb nut '73. A spring member '74 is secured to the link 58 and is provided with a pin '75 which is arranged to be -moved into any one of a series of openings '76 in the thumb nut 73. The thumb nut is also provided with an annular groove 7'7, such as that provided in the thumb nut 65. When the thumb nut '73 is rotated, the pinion '72 is caused to rotate and to move the link 58 through the medium.

of the rack '71. In this manner, the link 58 may be lengthened or shortened as found necessary and for reasons'which will be more fully explained later.

The lever 54 is also provided with an adjust- A rack 62 is secured to one sidelar to the arms 112 and 113.

through the base and provide a cradle consist inent similar to that provided for the lever 57 and the link 58. The rotation of a thumb nut 78 secured to a pinion 79 in mesh with a rack 80 will cause the link 55 to be moved'outwardly or inwardly dependent upon the direction of the rotation of the thumb nut 73. Referring to Fig we 12, it will be observed that I have provided a thumb nut 81 having a pinion 82 in mesh with a rack 84 secured to the link 55. Rotation of the latter thumb nut will cause a lengthening or shortening of the link 55. 'A flat spring 85 having a pin 86 arranged to enter one of the openings 87 in the thumb nut 78 permits an immediate and convenient adjustment of the lever 54. Likewise when the thumb nut 81 is rotated, the link 55 may be either lengthened or shortened. The thumb nut 81 is locked against rotation by means of a spring 88.

Referring now to Figure 1, it will be noted that I have provided a shaft 89 which is rotatably supported by means of standards 90. The shaft 89 extends substantially the entire length of the machine and is provided with grinding wheels of progressively finer grit 91 and 92, an absorbent wheel 93, and a suitable stropping wheel 94. All of the wheels 91, 92, 93 and 94 are mounted concentrically with respect to the cam ring 44 and the rings 32, 27, 8 and 20.

-Pulleys 95 and 96 are mounted for rotation upon the shaft 89. These pulleys are provided with suitable frictional discs 97 and 93, see Figures 1 and 7. The shaft 89 is provided with a feather key 99 which is arranged to slidably en-- ter a groove 100 in a sleeve 101 which is mounted upon the shaft 89. The sleeve 101 is provided with flanges 102, and 103 to which 104 and 105 are secured. The latter discs are provided with suitable frictional disc members 106 and 107. Since the sleeve 101 is arranged to be moved longitudinally with respect to the shaft 89, the disc member 106 may be moved into engagement with the disc 97 or out of engagement therewith and the disc 107 moved into engagement'with the disc 98. Thepulleys 95 and 96 are driven in opposite directions so that when the disc 106 is in engagement with the disc 97, the direction of rotation of the shaft 89 will be the reverse of that should the disc 107 be moved into engagement with the disc 98.

The shaft 89 is provided with an annular groove 108 relatively near one end thereof. A tongue member 109 is secured to one of the standards 90 and is arranged to enter the groove 108; thus the shaft 89 is secured against longitudinal movement.

A shaft 110 is mounted underneath the base 1. Brackets 111 are secured to the base 1 and rotatably support the shaft110. A pair of arms 112 and 113 having enlarged portions 114 and 115 is secured to the shaft 110.by means of pins 116 and 117. Referring to Figure 3, it will be seen that the arms 112 and 113 are adapted to support a cradle consisting of rods 118 and 119. The arms 112 and 113 pass through openings 120 in the base 1. A sleeve 121 is mounted for rotation upon a portion of the shaft 110. This sleeve is provided with arms 122 and 123 simi- These arms pass ing of a pair of rods 124 and 125, see Figures 2 and 7. r

The lug 45, as will be seen from Figure 1; is

arranged to bear against the rods 118, 119, 124,

a link 128, see Figure 1. The bell crank lever is pivotally supported upon the base by means of brackets 129. One end of the bell crank lever 127 is provided with a lug 130 adapted to enter an annular groove 131 in the sleeve 101. When the arms 112 and 113 are moved, the shaft 110 will be caused to rotate slightly, thus moving the bell crank lever 127 through the medium of the link 128 and the arm 126. Any movement of the bell crank lever 127 will of course be transmitted to the sleeve 101, in this manner moving the discs 106 and 107 into or out of engagement with their respective pulleys. Since the pulleys 95 and 96 rotate in opposite directions, it will now be seen that the shaft 89 may be caused to rotate in either direction by merely a slight movement of the arms 112 and 113. It will be noted that the bell crank lever 127 is actuated only when the lug 45 is in engagement with the rods 118 and 119. When however the lug is moved into engagement with the rods 124 and 125, the arms 122 and 123 will cause a movement of the sleeve 121, which in turn will result in the movement of a bar 132. Referring to Figure 2, it will be seen that I have provided an arm 133 which is rigidly mounted upon the bar 132. A link 134 connects the arm 133 with a bell crank lever 135, see Figures 2 and 7.

The bell crank lever 135 is provided with alug 136 which is in engagement with the groove 131 in thesleeve 101. The bell crank lever 135 is mounted upon the base 1 by means of brackets 137. Thus it will be seen that the bell crank lever 135 is independent of the bell crank lever 127.

Referring to Figure 2, it will be seen that when the lug 45 is in the full line position, the rod 124. is slightly depressed. A handle 138 is secured to the cam ring 44. When the handle 138 is moved into the central position shown in dotted lines in Figure 2, the lug 45 will be moved into the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 3. When the lug is in this position, the clutch mechanism is in its neutral position. When however the handle is moved beyond the central position and into a position shown in dotted lines at 139, the rod 125 will be depresssed, thus reversing the clutch mechanism.

A handle 140 is secured to the carriage 6, see Figure 1. The carriage 6 may be moved along the T-rails 4 by grasping the handle 140 and moving the carriage in either direction. The carriage 6 may be removed'from' the T-rails 4. A lug 141, see Figure 2, is secured to one side of the carriage. When the carriage 6 is moved rearwardly, the lug 141 will be moved into contact with a companion lug 142. At this time the handle 140 will be lowered so as to cause the carriage 6 to be moved into an upright position. The two foremost wheels 5 on each side of the carriage 6 will be moved into a recess 143 and a hooked member 144 on the end of each of the T- rails 4. Thus the carriage will be suspended in substantially an upright position as shown in the dotted line position in Figure 18.

The base 1 is provided with a stop member 145.

The stop member 145 is of such a height that the handle 138 is in the central dotted line position shown in Figure 2.

In Figure 5, I have shown one type of blade holder. The blade holder 43 consists of a tube slotted on one side to permit the insertion ofa razor blade 145. A sleeve 147 is secured to the blade holder 43. This sleeve may be made from any suitable resilient material and is provided with a pair of turned-in edges 148 which bear against the blade 146 when it has been inserted in the blade holder 43. The shaft 42 is provided with an annular groove 149, see Figure 14. When the shaft 42 is inserted in a tube 150, a spring member 151 passes into the groove 149, thus firmly retaining the shaft 42 within the tube 150.

When it is desired'to remove the blade holder grinding blades having a reinforced back.

are rotated in different directions.

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device, the operation thereof may be readily understood. The pulleys 95 and 96 This may be. accomplished by twisting one of the belts or other suitable means for driving the. pulleys. In grinding or sharpening razor blades, the stone wheels should run against the edge of the blades while the leather wheels must of necessity run with the edge.

When it is desired to insert blades into the tube holders 1'7, the carriage is rolled along the T- rails'4 until the lug 141 strikes the lug 142. At this time, the carriage istilted into an upright position and suspended from the recesses 143 in the T-rails 4 and the hooked members 144. When the carriage is in this position, the blade holders are easily accessible. The handle 138 is moved into the dottediline position 139. This movement of the handle 138 which causes a relative' movement of the cam ring 44 will cause a movement of the lever 5'7. The pin 60 secured to the lever 57 projects into the slot 51. Thus when the handle 138 is moved into the dotted line position shown in Figure 2, the pin 60 will of necessity follow the slot .51, thereby causing the lever 5'7 to pivot on the shaft 16 and lifting the link 58. Figure '2 shows the lever 57 in connection with the cam ring 44. When, the arm 138 is in the full line position shown in Figure 2, the lever57 and the link 58 are in the positionshown in Figure 4. When the handle 138 has beenjmoved into the dotted line position 139, the lever 57 has been moved into the dotted line position shown in Figure 4, thereby lifting the link 58 from the full line position into the dotted line position.

Movement of the link 58 will cause a relative movement of the ring 32. Since the levers 30 are pivotally secured to the ring 32, any movement of the ring 32 willeause'a relative movement of the levers 30. When thelink 58 has been moved from the-full line position to the dotted line position sh own in Figure 4, the ring 32 will have rotated so as ,to bring the lever A from the full line position into a dotted line position B. During this movement, the blade holders 43 will be caused to turn, since the pinion 41 is in engagement with the teeth 38.

the description of one will of course apply to all. When the handle 138 has been moved from right to left as shown in Figure 2, that is, when the lever 30 has been moved from the position A to the position B, the link 58 will be raised Sincethe action of all of the levers 30 is identical,-

drawing the pin '75 from engagement with one of the openings 76. The thumb nut 73 is then free to rotate androtation thereof will cause the pinion 72 which is in engagement with the rack 71 to move the rack and link downwardly into the C position. Moving the link 58 from the dotted line position to the position C will cause the pinion 41 to move nearer the center of the toothed portion 37 of the lever 30. Re-

' ferring to Figure 9, it will be observed that the pin 40 secured to the tube holder 17 is in engagement with the lever 30 during the greater portion of the movement from the position A to the position B, as shown in Figure 4. When however the lever 30 is in the dotted line position B, the pin 40 has been moved out of engagement with the ridge 39.

Simultaneously with the movement of the lever 57, the lever 52 having the pin 53 in engagement with the groove 50 will be caused to pivot on the shaft 16, thereby lowering the lever 54 which is merely a continuation of the lever 52. This movement results in a movement of the link 55 from the full line position into a dotted line position D and back again to the full line position. Since the link 55 is pivotally connected with the spreading ring 20, it will now be seen that movement of the link' 55 will cause a slight rotation of the spreading ring 20, and since the pins 25 carried by the spreading ring 20 are in engagement with the grooves 26 in the tube holders, thetube holders will be caused to pivot on the pins 19. During one movement of the handle 138, that is, from right to left, or from left to right, as show in Figure 2, the link 55 will be moved from the full line position to the dotted line position D and back again to its full line position, as shown in Figure 4. During the rotation of the spreading ring 20, the tube holders 1'7 will be pivoted so as to cause them to spread'outwardly from the center of the ring, thereby permitting-the blades to be reversed. The recesses 24 in the ring 20 provide a space for the movement of the tube holders 17.

When the handle 138 has been moved into the dotted line position 139 and the lever 30 is in the dotted line position B and the link 58 has een moved into the dotted line position 0, the releasing ring 27 has been rotated so that the handle 33 is in the dotted line position E shown in Figure 4. When in this position, the handle 33 is moved slightly downwardly into the dotted line position F at which time the pawl 34 is moved against the tension of the coil spring 35 and into engagement with a notch 152 which will cause the pin 28, which is in engagement with the groove 29 in the arm 30, to move the arm away from the pinion 41 and into the dotted line position shown at G. The blade holders are now free to be either removed or rotated at will. The carriage 6 having been placed in the upright position, the blade holders 43 are now insertedin the tubes 150, or if the blade holders 43 are already in the tubes,

the razor blades are inserted in the blade holders 43. After the blade holders have been inserted, the blades pivoting inwardly, the precise position being immaterial, they are given a wipe with the fingers until each blade rests against the holder 41. The link 58 is then moved from the C position to the dotted line position in Figure 4. The blades are now in a position to uniformly present their edges to the grinding wheels. The carriage is lifted by means of the handle 140 and returned to the T-rails 4, at which time the handle 138 is moved so that all the blades point outwardly.

After the carriage has been moved back on the Trails 4, the carriage is rolled along the rails so as to bring the blades into position to be presented to one of the grinding Wheels 91 or 92. The handle 138 is now moved so as to bring one side of the blades into engagement with one of the grinding stones. For the purpose of illustration, we will assume that this latter movement of the handle 138 is from the central dotted line position, as shown in Figure 2, to the full line position. The blades will then be in engagement with the grinding stone 91, as shown in Figure 4. Power is then applied to rotate the grinding stones 91 and 92, as well as the absorbent wheel 93 and the stropping wheel 94. The carriage is then moved along the T-rails 4 to bring the blades into engagement with either one of the stones 91 or 92. When the blades have been sufficiently groundthey are reversed to present the other ide to the stones. Reversal of the blades is accomplished by merely moving the handle 138 from right to left, or from left to right. The direction of rotation of the grinding wheels 91 and 92 is against the edge of the blade. When the handle 138 is moved from right to left, as shown in Figure 2, the lug 45 ceases to bear against the rod 124, and the opposite end of the lug 45 will bear against the rod 125, thus depressing the arms 122 and 123. Movement of the arms 122 and 123 will cause the bell crank lever 135 to move the sleeve 101, thereby reversing the direction of rotation of the stones 91 and 92 simultaneously with the turningof the blades. v Since oil is applied to the grinding wheels 91 and 92, it is necessary to provide means for removing any oil which may adhere to the blades before they are passed from the grinding stones onto the stropping wheel. Thus it will be seen that the absorbent wheel 93 is arranged to absorb any oil carried'by the blades as they, are passed from the grinding wheels 91 and 92 onto the stropping wheel 94. Referring to Figure 3, it will be seen that the lug 45 engages the stop member 145 when the handle 138 is in either the right or left position; When however the handle 138 is moved to the central dotted line position shown in Figure 2, the lug may pass over the stop member 145. As the lug 45 passes the stop member 145, the blades are brought into contact with the absorbent wheel 93 and then onto the stropping wheel 94. Referring again to Figure 3, it will be seen that when the lug 45 is passed over the stopmember 145 and onto the rods 118 and 119, the direction of rotation of all of the wheels will be reversed so that the rotation of the stropping wheel is with the edge of the blade.

When the blades are being ground on the coarse stone 91, the blades must be held at a smaller angle to the surface of the stone than when they are finished on the finer grained stone 92' or on the stropping wheel 94, that is, they must be lowered closer to the stone 91 than to the stone 92 or the stropping wheel 94. The blades are hollow ground on the stone 91 and honed and stropped on the stone 92 and the stropping wheel 94. It is therefore necessary to provide means for changing the angle of inclination of the blades with respect to the different stones. When the blades are passed from the coarse stone 91 to the stone 92 or the stropping wheel 94, the link 55 is lowered slightly which has the efiect'of movement. A greater movement of the link 58 will of course cause a relatively greater movement of the levers 30 since they are secured to the ring 32.

Double-edged blades are wider than singleedged blades and therefore require more room when they are being turned. Lengthening the lever 54 by means of the thumb screw '78 will give a greater movement to the link 55. It will be seen from Figure 4 that the amount of rotation of the spreading ring 20 determines the oscillation of the tube holders 17, and that the greater the rotation of the spreading ring 20, the farther away from the stones the blades will be moved, thus providing more room for the turning of the blades. Double-edged blades must of course be held closer to the stones than single-edged blades, since of course the edges on the double-edged blades are closer to the axes of the pinions 41 than the single-edged blades.

In Figure 15, I have shown a modified form of a blade holder. This blade holder is adapted to support blades without reinforced backs. The blade holder is similar to my preferred form shown in Figure 5, with the exception that a spring 160 is secured to the tube 43. The spring 160 is bent so as to bear against an ear 161 of a blade 146'. A sleeve 147 which is secured to the tube 43' tends to support the blade.

In Figures 16 and 17, I have shown another modified form of blade holder. This form is adapted to hold blades of the double-edged type. The holder proper consists of a rigid thick piece 170, carrying a thinner and wider flat piece 174, to which projections 1'71 are secured. These projections pass through holes in a blade 173, and into corresponding depressions in a spring member 175, thus firmly securing the blade in posi tion.

I claim:

1. In a razor blade sharpening device, cylindrical grinding means, cylindrical stropping means, a clutch for rotating said grinding and stropping means and for reversing the same, blade-holding means for mounting a plurality of razor blades about the cylindrical grinding means and the cylindrical stropping means, means for shifting said blades from said cylindrical grinding means to said cylindrical stropping means,

and means for simultaneously reversing the rota- 7 tion of said stropping means when the blades are moved from said cylindrical grinding means to said cylindrical stropping means.

2; A razor blade sharpening device comprising a base, a shaft mounted upon said base, a clutch Y mechanism for rotating the shaft and reversing the same, cylindrical sharpening means secured to said shaft, rails mounted upon said base, a carriage mounted for movement upon the rails, a pair of spaced-apart rings secured to the carriage, a plurality of tube holders movably mounted be tween said spaced-apart rings and concentrically disposed about said sharpening means for mounting a plurality of blades about said cylincarried by said ring, a releasing ring operatively connected with said levers, a cam ri g shaft secured to said spaced-apart rings, and levers mounted upon said shaft and operatively 0on nected with said cam ring, said ring and said spreading ring for shiftingsaid blades whensaid cam ring is moved. 3. In a razor blade sharpening device, cylindrical sharpening means, a carriage arrangedfor movement inparallelism with the longitudinal axis of said cylindrical sharpening means, tube holders pivotally mounted upon said carriage and concentrically disposed about said cylindrical sharpening means, spreading means for said tube holders, tubes carried by the tube holders, blade holders comprising shafts having grooves and removably disposed within said tubes, means secured to the blade holders for supporting blades, pinions mounted upon said shafts, spring means carried by the tube holders and arranged to enter said grooves for holding said blade holders withd in the tubes, means movably mounted upon ,the

carriage and arranged to engage said pinions for rotating the blade holders, and means carried by the tube holders and arranged to engage said last named means for holding the latter in engagement with said pinions. h l

4. A razor blade sharpening device comprising a base, a shaft mounted for rotation upon said base, a clutchmechanism for rotating said shaft and reversing the same, cylindrical sharpening means mounted upon said shaft, rails mounted upon said base and disposed in parallelism with the longitudinal axis of said cylindrical sharpening means, a carriage mounted for movement upon said rails, a pair of spaced-apart members secured to said carriage, aplurality of tube holding means movably mounted within said spacedapart members and concentrically mounted about said cylindrical sharpening means, said plurality of tube holding means being adapted to support a plurality of blades concentrically about saidcylindrical sharpening means, spreading means for moving said tube holding means,'a ring, levers movably carriedby said ring, at releasing ring operatively connected with said levers, a cam ring, and levers mounted upon one of said spacedapart members and operativelyconnected with said cam ring, said ring and said spreading means for shifting theblades when said cam ring'is moved. 7 j

5. A razor blade sharpening device comprising a base, a shaft mounted for rotation upon said base, a clutch mechanism for rotating the shaft and for reversing the same, a pair of rails mounted upon'said base, a carriage arranged to run upon said rails, a grinding wheel, an absorbent.

wheel and a stropping wheel mounted upon said shaft, 9, pair of spaced-apartmembers secured to said carriage, a pluralityiof tube holders movably mounted upon said spaced-apart members and: arranged concentrically about. said grinding wheel, absorbent wheel and stropping wheel, blade holders removably and rotatably mounted in said tube holders for holding a plurality of blades in contact with any one of said wheels, means for shiftingthe blade holders for presentng-the opposite sides of said blades incontact with any one ofsaid wheels, a'cradle operatively' connected with said clutch mechanism, and means arranged toactuate'said cradle for reversing the rotation of said grinding wheel when said blade holders are shifted.

a 6. A'razor blade sharpening device comprising a base, a shaft mounted for rotation upon said base,a clutch mechanism for rotating the shaft and reversing the same, a pair of rails mounted upon said base in parallelism with said shaft, a carriage arranged to run upon said rails, a grinding wheel, an absorbent wheel and a stropping wheel mounted upon the shaft, a pair of spacedapart members secured to the carriage, a plLuality of tube holders mounted between said spacedapart members and arranged concentrically about said grinding wheel, said absorbent wheel and said stropping wheel, blade holders removably and movably mounted in said tube holders for supporting a plurality of blades in engagement with said grinding wheel, absorbent wheel and stropping wheel, means for moving the blade holders for bringing the opposite sides of the blades into contact with the grinding wheel, the absorbent wheel and the stropping wheel, a pair of cradles operatively connected with said clutch mechanism, a cam ring movably mounted upon said carriage, and means associated with said cam ring and arranged to engage one of said cradles for reversing said clutch when the blades are in contact with the grinding wheel, and being further arranged to engage the other cradle when said blades are in engagement with the absorbent wheel or the stropping wheel for reversing the rotation of the absorbent wheel and said 105 stropping wheel with respect to the blades.

7. A razor blade sharpening device comprising a base, a shaft mounted for rotation upon said base, a clutch mechanism for rotating the shaft and reversing the same, a pair of rails mounted 11 uponsaid base, a carriage arranged to run upon said rails, grinding wheels mounted upon said shaft, an absorbent wheel and a stropping wheel mounted upon the shaft, a pair of spaced-apart members secured to said carriage, a plurality of 5 blade-holding devices movably mounted upon said spaced-apart members, means for spreading said blade-holding devices, said blade-holding devices being adapted to support blades and to hold them in engagement with said grinding wheels, 12 the absorbent wheel and the stropping wheel, said bladeFhoIding devices being adapted to be actuated for shifting the blades to present the opposite' side'to the grinding wheels, the absorbent wheel and the stropping wheel, a cradle operatively connected with said clutch mechanism, and means carried'by one of said spaced-apart members and adapted to actuate said cradle for reversing the rotation of said grinding wheels when said blade-holding devices are moved for shifting'the blades.

.. 8. A razor blade sharpening device comprising a base, a shaft mounted for rotation upon said base, a clutch mechanism for rotating said shaft and reversing the same, rails mounted upon said base, a carriage arranged to be moved along said rails, .cylindrical grinding wheels mounted upon said shaft,'a cylindrical stropping wheel mounted with said clutch mechanism, and means associated with said carriage for actuating the clutch for reversing the rotation of said cylindrical grinding wheels and said cylindrical stropping wheel with respect to the blades when the carriage is moved for moving the blades away from the cylindrical gr nding wheels into contact with said cylindrical stropping wheel.

9. A razor blade sharpening device comprising a base, a shaft mounted for rotation upon said base, a cylindrical grinding wheel mounted upon the shaft, a clutch mechanism for rotating said shaft and reversingthe same, a plurality of movable blade-holding means for mounting a plurality of blades concentrically about said grinding wheel,-and means for spreading said blade-holding means, said'blade-holding means being adapted to move one side of the blades into contact with said cylindrical grinding wheel to spread the blades and then reversing the blades for moving the other side of the blades into contact with the cylindrical grinding wheel.

10. A razor blade sharpening device comprising a cylindrical grinding wheel, a cylindrical stropping wheel, a plurality of bladaholding means for mounting a plurality of razor blades concentrically about the cylindrical grinding wheel and the cylindrical stropping wheel, a clutch mechanism for rotating said grinding wheel and said stropping wheel and for reversing the same, means associated with said blade-- holding means for moving one side of said blades into contact with said cylindrical grinding wheel and said cylindrical stropping wheel and adapted to reverse the blades and to move the other side of said blades into contact with the cylindrical grinding wheel or the cylindrical stropping wheel, means for spreading said blade-holding means during the reversal of the blades, and means associated with said clutch for reversing the rotation of said grinding wheel and said stropping wheel with respect to said blades when said blades are moved from one of saidwheels to the other.

11. A razor blade sharpening device comprising a cylindrical grinding wheel, a cylindrical stropping wheel, a plurality of movable bladeholding means for mounting a plurality of razor blades concentrically about the cylindrical grinding wheel and the cylindrical stropping wheel, means for spreading said blade-holding means, a clutch mechanism for rotating said grinding wheel and said stropping wheel and for reversing the same, means associated with said bladeholding means for moving one side of said blades into contact with said cylindrical grinding wheel or said cylindrical 'stropping wheel and being further adapted to reverse the blades for presenting the opposite side of said cylindrical grinding wheel or said cylindrical stropping wheel, and means associated with said clutch mechanism and actuated by the reversing of said blades for reversing the direction of rotation of said grinding wheel and said stropping wheel when said blades are moved from one of said wheels to the other.

12. In a razor blade sharpening machine, the combination of a base, a cylindrical sharpening tool rotatably mounted on. the base, a carriage mounted on the base and concentric with said sharpening tool, a plurality of blade-holding means disposed within said carriage and adapted for holding a side of the blades carried thereby in engagement with the sharpening tool, means carried by the carriage and operatively associated with the blade-holding means whereby said blade-holding means may be moved radially with respect to the sharpening tool, means whereby said blade-holding means may be rotated for presenting the opposite sides of the blades in engagement with said sharpening tool, means associated with the blade-holding means whereby the angle at which the blades engage the sharpening tool may be varied, and means whereby the radial movement of said blade-holding means may be varied.

13. In a razorblade sharpening machine, the combination of a base, a plurality of cylindrical sharpening tools rotatably mounted on the base and disposed in axial alignment, a carriage movabl mounted on the base and concentric with the sharpening tools, said carriage being movable parallel to the axes of the sharpening tools, a plurality of blade-holding means disposed within said carriage and adapted for holding a side of the blades carried thereby in engagement with a sharpening tool, the sharpening tool with which the blades are held in engagement being depend ent on the position of said carriage, and means carried bythe carriage and operatively associated with the blade-holding means whereby said blade-holding means may be rotated for alternatelypresenting the opposite sides of they blades carried thereby in engagement with the sharpening tool.

14. In a razor blade sharpening machine, the combination of a base, a plurality of cylindrical sharpening tools rotatably mounted on the base and disposed in axial alignment, a carriage movably mounted on the base and concentric with the sharpening tools, said carriage being movable parallel to the axes of the sharpening tools, a plurality of blade-holding means disposed within said carriage and adapted for holding a side of the blades carried thereby in engagement with a sharpening tool, the sharpening tool with which the blades are held in engagement being depend ent on the position of said carriage, and means carried by the carriage and operatively associated with the blade-holding means whereby said blade-holding means may be moved radially with respect to the sharpening tools.

15. In a razor blade sharpening machine, the combination of a base, a plurality of cylindrical sharpening tools rotatably mounted on the base and disposed in axial alignment, a carriage movably mounted on the base and concentric with the sharpening tools, said carriage being movable parallel to the axes of the sharpening tools, a plurality of blade-holding means disposed within said carriage and adapted for holding a side of the blades carried thereby in engagement with a sharpening tool, the sharpening tool with which the blades are held in engagement being dependent on the position of said carriage, means car ried by the carriage and operatively associated with the blade-holding means whereby said bladeliolding means may be moved radially with respect to the sharpening tools, and means whereby said blade-holding means may be rotated for presentingthe opposite sides of the blades in engagement with said sharpening tool.

16. In a razor blade sharpening machine, the combination of a base, a plurality of cylindrical sharpening tools rotatably mounted on the base anddisposed in axial alignment, a carriage movably mounted on the base and concentric with the sharpening tools, said carriage being movable parallel to the axes of the sharpening tools,

a plurality of blade-holding means disposed within said carriage and adapted for holding a side of the blades carried thereby in engagement with a sharpening tool, the sharpening tool with which the blades are held in engagement being dependent on the position of said carriage, means carried by the carriage and operatively associated with the blade-holding means whereby said blade-holding means may berotated for presenting the opposite side of the blades in engagement with said sharpening tool", and means whereby each of said blade sharpening tools may be rotated in a given direction depending on the sides of the blades in engagement therewith.

17. In a razor blade sharpening machine, the combination of a base, a plurality of cylindrical sharpening tools rotatably mounted on the base and disposed in axial alignment, a carriage movably mounted on the base and'concentric with the sharpening tools, said carriage being movable ment with said sharpening tool, and means assoeiated with the blade-holding means whereby the angle at which the blades engage the sharpening tool may be varied.

18.In a razor blade sharpening machine, the combination of a base, a plurality of cylindrical sharpening tools rotatably mounted on the base and disposed in axial alignment, a carriage movably mounted on the'base and concentric with the sharpening tools, said carriage being movable parallel to the axes of the sharpening tools,

a plurality of blade-holding means disposed within said carriage and adapted for holding a side of the blades carried thereby in engagement with a sharpening tool, the sharpening tool with which the blades are held in engagement being dependent on the position of said carriage, means carried by the carriage and operatively associated with the blade-holding means whereby said blade-holding means may be rotated for presenting the opposite side of the blades in engagement with said sharpening tool, means whereby each'of said blade sharpening tools may be rotated in a given direction depending on the sides of the blades in engagement therewith, and means associatedwith the blade-holding means whereby the angle at which the blades engage the sharpening tool may be varied.

CHARLES IVIINERS. 

